Anti-Smoking Camp Targets ‘Avatar’

Posted on Jan 11, 2010

James Cameron’s “Avatar” has made beaucoup bucks, already taking in more than $1 billion worldwide since its release last month, but there’s at least one group that’s not happy with certain aspects of his futuristic odyssey. A campaign called Smoke Free Movies sponsored a major ad buy in Hollywood’s two prominent trade papers Tuesday to protest Sigourney Weaver’s on-screen smoking habit in the film. However, Cameron is quick on the uptake and responded to the criticism Monday. —KA

The New York Times:

The full-page ads were scheduled to run in both The Hollywood Reporter and Daily Variety. For every $100 million it earns at the box office, “Avatar” will “deliver an estimated 40 million tobacco impressions to theater audiences,” said the ads, referring to scenes involving a cigarette-smoking character played by Sigourney Weaver. That estimate of the film’s value to tobacco companies included anticipated home video sales.

The “Avatar” character played by Sigourney Weaver, left, has drawn fire for her cigarette smoking. In this “Avatar” promotional photo, Weaver is pictured with director James Cameron, seated at center, and co-stars Joel Moore, center left, and Sam Worthington.